What Makes a Player the Best?

The NFL is not about winning. the NFL is about entertainment. The NFL is a league invented purely for the entertainment of the viewer. The league doesn’t make money by having the best athletes in the world. The league makes its money by providing entertainment. Therefore, it is only logical that the best player in the NFL is the player that provides the highest quality entertainment to the most people. Getting league MVPs doesn’t sell tickets. Being fun to watch sells tickets. And there is one player that embodies this to the fullest, making him by a longshot the best player in the NFL.

Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL. Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, Allen has been a tantalizing player ever since he was drafted. Primarily known before the draft as the man who looks good in shorts, Josh Allen was a California kid coming out of Wyoming. He was raw. His arm was a cannon, his footwork was a mess, and he wasn’t from a top football school. His game had tons of questions, but his arm and personality pushed him up the draft boards. He was known as a boom-or-bust quarterback at Wyoming and was one of the riskiest picks on draft boards. With an elite ceiling and no floor, he gave plenty of entertainment to the league before his name was even called during the draft. On draft day, the Bills believed in the man known for wearing shorts and traded up to the number seven draft pick to get our man, Josh Allen.

2018

2018 Josh Allen was not the Josh Allen we see today. In 2018, Josh Allen was not a passing quarterback. He won (and lost) games where he threw under 20 pass attempts and had some crazy statlines in the 12 games he played in. Because crazy lines are entertaining, here is what happened in a 24-21 win over the Jaguars: 8/19 for 160 yards passing (75 from one play) and one touchdown, along with 13/99 rushing (long of 45) with one rushing touchdown. Was Allen more valuable on the ground or in passing that game? Who knows! That is basically the motto for Allens’ 2018 season. 10 passing touchdowns, 12 Interceptions, and 8 rushing touchdowns. Watching Josh Allen games in 2018 was like going to the circus. You never knew what was going to happen. Whatever he did though, at least for an impartial fan, was always worth watching. Whether it was him pretending to be a running back, throwing to (or over) receivers, or fumbling the ball what seemed like 3 times a game, you knew you were in for a treat. Was Allen a good quarterback? No. Did he add lots of spice to a 6-10 Bills season? You know he did! Allen was not happy being a low-tier QB though, he wanted more, and was willing to put in the work.

2019

2019 Josh Allen was the same as 2018 Josh Allen, except this year he was a good quarterback. He worked hard over the off-season to get good at passing the football (weird for a QB, right?) and it paid off. He came into the season with noticeably better footwork and started using his physical skills to stay behind the line of scrimmage and pass the ball. He rushed much less outside the goal line, and instead decided to pass the ball. Boy, that was a good idea. His incredibly awkward Josh Rosen esque statlines disappeared. He ended the season with a 20:9 touchdown to interception ratio, along with 9 rushing touchdowns, even more than his rookie season. Josh Allen wasn’t good enough to be entertaining purely off his greatness, he needed something else, and he got it. He casually fumbled 14 times during the regular season, which led to them losing some close games. His performance was enough to bring the Bills a 10-6 record, and a chance at the Super Bowl.

Josh Allen was a great player in 2019, but he wasn’t a world-beater. However, his job, to provide us with entertainment, went swimmingly, especially during the playoffs. 2019 playoff Josh Allen was vintage Josh Allen. Great plays, greater blunders, and a game for the ages. In the wild-card round against the Texans, he was moving the ball. In fact, he moved the ball so well that the Bills were leading 16-0 in the third quarter, and everyone except Texans fans were entertained. Josh Allen makes sure everybody has a great time though. In fact, he let the whole fourth quarter be fun for the Texans and general fans. It took a lost fumble, an intentional grounding, and a 20-yard sack on 4th down, but he gave Deshaun Watson and the Texans a chance to shine, blessing NFL fans with some playoff overtime. Playoff overtime is something special, and Josh Allen made it even better. However, a missed field goal and some great plays by Watson led the Bills to a 19-22 defeat, but because they put on by far the most entertaining game of the wild-card round, I’d say it was worth it. Allen had his first chance on the center stage of the playoffs, and being the showman he is, he had to get back.

2020

2020 Josh Allen is not the same as 2018 or 2019 Josh Allen. 2020 Josh Allen didn’t have to rely on epic failures to provide entertainment and instead made fans happy by being one of the best players in the NFL. Well, not completely. You got to get frisky to be remembered, and Josh knows that. That’s why he kept still fumbled 9 times. A man of the people here folks. Fumbles were the only weakness in Allens’ play this season. He made a big jump in development last season, but this season it was like he went to the moon. He probably thought passing the ball was fun, and if he didn’t at the start of the season, he does now. Same with being the MVP. This is a reborn, hungrier, high ceiling, and no floor, quarterback. You can list any relevant quarterback stat, and Allen will be in the top 5. He also didn’t forget how fun it is to run the ball as well, adding another 8 touchdowns. Honestly, it seems like he never learned sharing in pre-school, as he accounted for most of the yards all by himself, leaving his runningbacks eating week-old leftovers. He found the spotlight, and he lived in it. With a 37:10 TD/INT ration plus 8 more rushing touchdowns, Allen played himself into the MVP conversation. The most entertaining player in football just stepped it up another level. Even during covid, where fans couldn’t show up to the stadium, he entertained. He donated to charities, beat the Patriots (and many others), played right after the passing of his Grandma, broke tables, wore shorts, and scored touchdowns. Everything the fans could ever want. Just to cap it all off, he carried the team to 13-3 and the second seed in the AFC, hopeful to find the franchise their first playoff win since he was born. This man is checking off accolades like a shopping list and earned another chance to hang with the greats.

Josh Allen in the playoffs, part 2. Bringing a home playoff game to Buffalo (now with 6500 fans), Allen’s first test was against the 7 seed, the 11-5 Colts. The Colts, led by Philip Rivers, were no slouches but also not a flashy team, meaning Allen needed to bring his A-game to make the divisional round and keep his title as the most entertaining player in the NFL. And he sure did. He elevated his team, especially his receivers, and put on a show. Sideline catch after sideline catch, Allen was almost invincible in the pocket and casually tossed a 300 yard game against a top defense in the playoffs. Allen this season caught eyes by being great in the pocket just like this game, but the fans always want more. And he’s got it all. A rushing touchdown? Check! A catch controversy? Check! Twice. Interceptions? Check! Twice, both taken off the board, one by a penalty and the other by instant replay. He had to give the Colts a chance, right? Well, both teams made great plays and the game was tight. It all came down to a hail mary. The ball flying over 50 yards downfield to the endzone, the game in the balance. One jumble of probably like 7 players ending a team’s season. Batted. Tipped. Dropped. Incomplete. In the best game of the now super-wildcard-round, it was done. Josh Allen, the greatest entertainer in the NFL, bringing a home playoff win to the city of Buffalo. A few interviews later, and no parties later (because of covid), Josh Allen cemented himself as a hero in Buffalo, and our hearts. A man by the people, for the people, Allen made us all proud.

Is Josh Allen the most skilled player in the NFL? No. Is he the best player in the NFL? Hell yeah! Every Josh Allen game is a must-watch to the highest degree, for fans of all kinds. Want a taste for yourself? Well, the golden boy isn’t done yet in this year’s playoffs, give yourself a treat and watch one of his playoff games, it is bound to be a show you won’t forget.

Honorable Mentions

There can only be one best player in the NFL, and that is Josh Allen by a country mile. However, there are many entertaining players that also create must-watch football, here are the honorable mentions, in no particular order.

• Jameis Winston – Eats W’s, Throws bombs (an equal amount to each team).
• Ryan Fitzpatrick- Great Harvard guy, immaculate style, is both Fitzmagic and Fitztragic daily.
• Lamar Jackson – Breaks the most ankles I’ve ever seen, and knows how to build a brand off the field.
• Alvin Kamara – Scores touchdowns and gets fines from Roger Goodell, and looks damn fine doing it.
• DeAndre Hopkins – Makes incredible catches look easy, with his luscious locks flying in the wind.
• Aaron Donald – Absolutely ripped. Even 3 lineman can’t handle this hulk of a man on the field.
• Travis Kelce – TV personality, hard hitter, and record-breaker. Physical specimen.
• Tony Romo – Commentator that predicts the future. Very quotable.
• Ezekiel Elliot – The villain of the NFL. Cowboys “star” that is fumbling away his career at a record pace.
• Tom Brady – The villain of the NFL except he wins. This man is 42 and he still wins. Share the love man!